PRIOR ART
Numerous tools for stripping metal sheathing from heavy conductive cable are known and it frequently becomes desirable to remove the metal sheathing from the cable when such sheathing is damaged and thereafter permitting the installation of a new metal sheathing.
In general, such tools are mounted in fixtures to which the cable is fed and guided. This involves the use of cumbersome drive means for the cable for advancing it through and beyond the fixture. Moreover, means must be provided to take up the stripped metal sheathing as it is being cut in the fixture. Also, such fixtures themselves are relatively large and complex and frequently come out of alignment requiring continued inspection and adjustment with frequent interruptions for resetting purposes. Additionally, it has been found that the cables themselves are so constructed that the sheathing has a twist therein such that when the outer metal sheathing is cut, the cable itself demonstrates a tendency to twist. This must be taken into account in the drive means which feeds the cable to and beyond the cutting fixture and the fixture itself must permit the cable to travel freely therethrough while the cable is supported with capability of undergoing angular travel.
A typical example of a fixture-mounted sheath removing machine is that in Baker U.S. Pat. No. 2,559,387. This machine employed a special pressure support for the cable and such support not only opposes axial advance of the cable but also angular twist there, whereby there is no compensation for the twisting of the cable when the metal sheathing is slit.
Another tool for cutting flexible conduit is that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,023 to Vail wherein a clamp secures the conduit in the tool and a cutting operation is effected on the clamped conduit. This, of course, limits the tool to a given length of conduit which can be cut and, hence, continuous cutting of the conduit is not possible.
A portable cutting tool is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,382 to Benedict, Jr. and herein the cutting principle is one of a pneumatic hammer type for slitting the outer sheath of a cable. A special guide acts in conjunction with the cutter which receives a series of reciprocating blows from a pneumatic air hammer. This tool is not capable of slitting heavy metal sheathing from a large diameter cable.